Russian Missile Blasts Solar Sail into Space

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Russian Missile Blasts Solar Sail into Space

Reuters - A Russian submarine launched a ballistic missile on Friday to test what scientists call the "solar sail", a device that could power spacecraft on missions to distant planets.

The solar sail, which is made up of giant triangular sail blades and looks like a huge umbrella, would move spaceships by catching a stream of light from the sun.

Space sailing uses reflected sunlight pressure, produced by a stream of ionised particles ejected by the sun, to push giant sails to propel the spacecraft. The stream is powerful enough for travel from Mercury as far as Jupiter.

The underwater launch of the Volna missile was carried out from the Borisoglebsk submarine in the Barents Sea. The solar sail was due to land on the Kamchatka peninsula, more than 12,000 km (8,000 miles) away in Russia's far eastern extremity.

"We can say for sure that the missile has done the job seamlessly," Vyacheslav Danilkin, deputy chief engineer of the Academician Makeyev design bureau, creator of Volna missiles, told RTR television.

"What has happened in space was due to be recorded by video cameras. So far we haven't seen reports from Kamchatka."

Friday's launch was designed to test the mechanism that unfolds the sail in space.

Interfax news agency said the sail belonged to the California-based Planetary Society, an organisation made up of 100,000 space enthusiasts from 140 countries.

The sail was designed by Russia's Babakin research bureau, a subsidiary of one of Russia's leading aviation firms, NPO Lavochkina.

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Russian "Solar Sail" Maker Says Flight Failed

Reuters - The Russian producer of a space "solar sail" said on Monday the futuristic device designed to propel spacecraft using sunlight had failed to make its debut flight during an experiment last week.

Interfax news agency quoted an unnamed official at Russia's leading aviation company NPO Lavochkina as saying Friday's test had been a failure, but he gave no details. He did say, however, the device itself was not to blame.

A modified ballistic missile fired on Friday from a Russian submarine was due to put the "solar sail" – seen as a cheap means of sending craft to distant planets – into space for a short flight to the Far East.

The device is designed to deploy two huge blades, like those of a windmill, to catch streams of ionised particles ejected by the sun and use them to push the craft on its way.

In its final version, designers see the sail having eight such blades, making it resemble an umbrella. They say it would be able to capture enough sunlight to travel to Jupiter.

On Friday, the deputy chief engineer at the Academician Makeyev design bureau, which made the missile used for the launch, said the missile had done its job "seamlessly".

The sail belongs to the California-based Planetary Society, an organisation set up by 100,000 space enthusiasts from 140 countries.

Itar-Tass news agency quoted the designer of the sail as saying more experiments were planned.